Corinne Winters Talks Iconic Heroines, Health, and Writing with Schmopera

April 25, 2016

Ahead of her Opernhaus Zürich debut as Mélisande in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, Corinne Winters talks with Schmopera about playing those coveted roles, her offstage creative outlets, and how she stays happy and healthy on the road.

"I can relate to all of these iconic heroines (and this is probably why they're iconic!): Desdemona loves bad boys, Mimì is a practical girl with an artistic soul, Tatiana is a bookish romantic, and Donna Anna is a Daddy's girl. That pretty much sums me up! In all seriousness, I think it's the performer's job to be true to the source material while still portraying the contrast and humanity of a character. I vow never, ever to play an archetype.

I don't find that the process changes based on the role, but rather the cast and team. Each production is its own living, breathing entity, and the team dynamic really sets the tone for the process. I love that I can never go on autopilot – I'm forced to stay present with how the process unfolds in that particular moment."

Read more >

Rolando Sanz Brings Andrew Lippa Concept Opera to Strathmore

April 24, 2016

Composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa, Jacquie Sanz, Executive Producer Rolando Sanz, and star Kristin Chenoweth

Executive Producer Rolando Sanz brought the world premiere of Andrew Lippa's latest work, a concept opera called I Am Anne Hutchinson / I Am Harvey Milk, to the Music Center at Strathmore near Washington, D.C. this weekend.

Starring Kristin Chenoweth and composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa, the work deals with two reluctant prophets speaking up for women's rights and gay rights. 

The production was met with critical acclaim, with the Washington Post raving, "This is music as activism, celebratory and inspirational. Strathmore gets very high marks for pulling together this premiere; surely – hopefully – this won’t be the last time Lippa and Chenoweth perform Anne/Harvey with the full battalion of musical support marshaled here."

Featuring forces of 175 musicians, the production was directed by Noah Himmelstein. Before the premiere, Rolando spoke with Classicalite and Broadway World Opera about the experience of mounting the project and the middle-of-the-night stroke of inspiration that led to coining the new "concept opera" genre.

Creative team and cast of I Am Anne Hutchinson / I Am Harvey Milk

Corinne Winters to Make San Diego Opera Debut

April 19, 2016

Corinne Winters will make her San Diego Opera debut in the 2016/17 season, singing her signature role of Violetta in Verdi's La traviata.

Next season, Winters will tackle the famously difficult role in three different productions, also appearing as Violetta at Seattle Opera and at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

In San Diego, she will be joined onstage by Joshua Guererro as Alfredo and Stephen Powell as Germont. Stephen Lord conducts Marta Domingo's Roaring Twenties era production.

Performances will run April 22-30, 2017.

Jamie Barton Talks Wagner & Bluegrass with Schmopera

April 12, 2016

Ahead of her Washington National Opera debut as Waltraute/2nd Norn in Götterdämmerung, Jamie Barton talks with Schmopera about Wagner, bluegrass, and her goal to bridge the gap between the art form she grew up loving and the art form she now does on a daily basis.

Barton grew up on a farm, surrounded not by classical music, but by Bluegrass. "That's kind of where I think I got an ear for virtuosic music. I absolutely still love it," she says, enthusiastically. "If I'm ever listening to Bluegrass then I'm probably missing home a little bit." She's a big fan of Chris Thile's music, and his collaborations with the Punch Brothers. "It is everything from Brandenburg Concertos to their own music which sounds at times very traditionalist for Bluegrass, and then at other times," she chuckles, "like Schoenberg had a baby with Earl Scruggs."

Read more >

Jamie Barton to Make Much-Anticipated Atlanta Symphony Debut

April 6, 2016

Jamie Barton will make a long-awaited debut with her hometown orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, in the 2016/17 season.

Barton will perform Elgar's Sea Pictures on a program that also features soprano Tamara Wilson and baritone Brian Mulligan in the Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony, a signature piece that won the orchestra three GRAMMY® awards in 2003.

Performances will be November 3 and 5, 2016; tickets will be available via the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra website. Barton will also perform the Elgar, along with other Songs of the Sea, with the Florida Orchestra, before decamping to the dry land of Nabucco at the Metropolitan Opera in December.

Corinne Winters to Bookend Her 2016/17 Season at Royal Opera House

April 6, 2016

Corinne Winters will open her 2016/17 season with her Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut this fall as Fiordiligi in a new Jan Philipp Gloger production of Mozart's Così fan tutte.

She will return to close out her season as Violetta in the beloved Richard Eyre production of La traviata, marking her first London Violetta since her explosion onto the international opera scene in the 2013 English National Opera production.

Così fan tutte performances will run September 22 – October 19, 2016, and will also feature Angela Brower as Dorabella, Daniel Behle as Ferrando, and Alessio Arduini as Guglielmo. The October 17 performance will be screened live in cinemas in over 35 countries.

Winters will appear in La traviata June 27 – July 4, 2017, alongside Atalla Ayan as Alfredo and George Petean as Germont. The July 4 performance will be featured as a live, free relay to several outdoor screens as part of BP Big Screens.

Tickets for both productions will be available via the Royal Opera House website.

Jamie Barton to Sing First Eboli at Deutsche Oper Berlin

March 17, 2016

Photo by Stacey Bode

Jamie Barton will make dual role and house debuts as Princess Eboli in the Italian version of Verdi's Don Carlo at Deutsche Oper Berlin in the 2016/17 season.

Conducted by Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, the cast also stars Liudmyla Monastyrska as Elisabeth, Teodor Ilincai as Don Carlo, Etienne Dupuis as Rodrigo, and Giacomo Prestia as King Philip.

Performances will run June 24 – July 6, 2017, and can be purchased via the Deutsche Oper website.

Learn more >
 

Jamie Barton sings "O don fatale" from Verdi's Don Carlo with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2016.

Amanda Majeski to Debut at Washington National Opera on 2016/17 Opening Night

March 8, 2016

Amanda Majeski will make her Washington National Opera debut as the Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro on opening night of the 2016/17 season. 

The Kennedy Center production will complete a trilogy of opening night Figaro performances for Majeski, a run that began at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 and continued at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2015.

Majeski will be joined by Lisette Oropesa as Susanna, Joshua Hopkins as Count Almaviva, Ryan McKinny as Figaro, and Aleksandra Romano as Cherubino, under the baton of James Gaffigan in a Peter Kazaras production.

Performances will run September 22 – October 2, 2016, with the September 24 performance simulcast to Nationals Stadium for the popular M&M’S Opera in the Outfield event.

More information >

Photo by Todd Rosenberg

Jamie Barton Featured in Atlanta Magazine

March 4, 2016

Jamie Barton appears in the March issue of Atlanta Magazine, talking about banjos, Bizet, and how the diva mentality has no place in modern opera.

Barton may be an artistic throwback in some ways, but she does not adhere to its accompanying stereotype: She's no diva.

"The diva mentality is very antiquated and has no place in modern opera," she says. "It's a distance that's selfish to your colleagues and your audience members. I prefer to think of us as a big community, a family of people, and you don't hold your family at arm's length."

Read more in the March issue of Atlanta Magazine >

Photo by John Fulton for Atlanta Magazine

Amanda Majeski Appears on WTTW's Chicago Tonight

March 2, 2016

Amanda Majeski joined Chicago Tonight for an interview and performances of Strauss and Bolcom. 

Amanda Majeski has been bringing her distinctive soprano voice to operatic roles on stages in the U.K., Spain, Germany and Switzerland. Closer to home, she's currently on stage in Der Rosenkavalier at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Watch the segment >

Jamie Barton to Star in Two Metropolitan Opera Productions in 2016/17

February 17, 2016

Photo by Elise Bakketun

““Jamie Barton is dazzling as Fenena, with a showstopper Act IV aria that displayed the lyricism and agility of this remarkable voice.”
SEATTLE TIMES”

Jamie Barton will return to the Metropolitan Opera for two productions in the 2016/17 season; both will be transmitted live to cinemas worldwide via Met Live in HD.

Barton will make her role debut as Ježibaba in a new Mary Zimmerman production of Rusalka, alongside Kristine Opolais in the title role, Brandon Jovanovich as the Prince, and Eric Owens as the Water Sprite, under the baton of Mark Elder. Performances will run Feb 2 – Mar 2, 2017.

Barton will also bring her celebrated Fenena to the Met stage for Nabucco, opposite Plácido Domingo and Željko Lučić in the title role, with James Levine conducting. The cast also features Liudmyla Monastyrska as Abigaille, Russell Thomas as Ismaele, and Dimitry Belosselskiy as Zaccaria. Performances will run Dec 12, 2016 – Jan 7, 2017.

Tickets for both productions are available via the Met site.

Amanda Majeski to Return to Metropolitan Opera in 2016/17

February 17, 2016

Photo by Kelly and Massa Photography

Amanda Majeski will return to the Metropolitan Opera in the 2016/17 season in her house debut as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Majeski's Elvira has been praised for her "wonderful vocal and psychological specificity" (Philadelphia Inquirer) and deemed "a revelation. A strange figure, Donna Elvira, but made human by Majeski's devastating rendition of her plight." (Broadway World)

Fabio Luisi will conduct performances on November 1, 4, and 10, 2016, also starring Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role, Matthew Rose as Leporello, Malin Byström as Donna Anna, Ramón Vargas as Don Ottavio, Nadine Sierra as Zerlina, and Adam Plachetka as Masetto.

Amanda will also perform as part of the 50th Anniversary Gala, celebrating the Met's golden anniversary in its home in Lincoln Center. Tickets are available through the Met website.

Rolando Sanz Featured on Schmopera

February 17, 2016

Rolando Sanz talks with Schmopera about listening to the greats, trusting oneself, and giving Aretha Franklin the R-E-S-P-E-C-T she deserves.

"Tenor Rolando Sanz has an enviable schedule, singing roles like Alfredo in La traviata, Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, and Rodolfo in La bohème. He reprises Alfredo with Ash Lawn Opera in May, and he's currently juggling understudy responsibilities at The Metropolitan Opera for their ongoing production of Otello. Despite his busy schedule, Sanz found time to talk about his bucket list roles, and all the things "good singing" can mean. "One does not need to "appreciate" singing to know what good singing is...we all know it when we hear it, and the goosebumps are proof positive of that."

Read more >

Corinne Winters Debuts as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello

February 13, 2016

Photo by Annemie Augustijns 

““Corinne Winters as Desdemona was by far the star of the evening. She showed a very bright lyrical soprano ranging to spinto, a beautiful colour, lavish projection and a dynamically varied delivery. The Willow Song and the fight duet with Otello were undeniably the highlight of the evening.” LEIDMOTIEF”

Corinne Winters is earning critical acclaim for her first run as the iconic Desdemona in Opera Vlaanderen's new Michael Thalheimer production of Verdi's Otello. Admist an atmosphere that is dark both literally and psychologically, Winters is receiving raves for her "stunning, intense, and heartbreaking" Desdemona (Flemish Classical Radio), as well as her strength balanced with "grace and nuance." (La Libre) 

Also starring Ian Storey in the title role, Vladimir Stoyanov as Iago, and Adam Smith as Cassio, Otello is conducted by Alexander Joel. Performances run until March 15th with tickets available through Opera Vlaanderen's website.

Read reviews: 

"In all that darkness, the light of this performance is Desdemona. In Corinne Winters, Michael Thalheimer has found a stunning, intense and heartbreaking Desdemona, who draws you in with her arias. "
Klara Classical Radio

"With a creamy timbre and a clear underlying gravity, the young North American soprano Corinne Winters delivers an enveloping Desdemona, fascinating with superbly controlled fil di voce."
Anaclase

"In all that lusciousness a sublime Corinne Winters, in her role debut as Desdemona, is a breath of fresh air in the last act: small and intimately she sing her lament ‘Willow Song,' after which she sings the Ave Maria. The American soprano is the bright light of this very old fashioned staging."
Concert News

"Corinne Winters as Desdemona was by far the star of the evening. She showed a very bright lyrical soprano ranging to spinto, a beautiful colour, lavish projection and a dynamically varied delivery. The Willow Song and the fight duet with Otello were undeniably the highlights of the evening. We’ll happily believe she sang an outstanding Donna Anna and we’d love to see her again in Verdi or Puccini repertoire."
Leidmotief

"Corinne Winter’s Desdemona suited all the black around her. Her Willow Song sounded beautifully fragile..."
Place de l'Opera

"Last year, Corinne Winters sang a fantastic Donna Anna. Her Desdemona succeeds, especially in her piano sounds and textual interpretation in the 'Willow Song' and her internalized expression of the 'Ave Maria'."
GOpera

"Corinne Winters offers both the girlish lightness and the desperation for a convincing Desdemona."
Online Musik Magazin

"Winters' fragility shone through in her "Willow Song", but her saving grace turned out to be a luminescent Ave Maria, brightening Thalheimer's darkness [with] a dynamic intensity and honesty in her voice."
Bachtrack

"The Desdemona of Corinne Winters plays marvelously with the stillness of a doll, which the director imposed on her. This doesn’t prevent her voice from unfurling into a maturity and warmth rare for her age. Not a single interval is cheated and the soprano manages to fly over the choir in act III with the ease of a dove."
ForumOpera

"Corinne Winters, a fragile Desdemona, sings her Willow Song with a perfect sense of effect and timing. Conductor Alexander Joel lets the airy notes of her “Ave Maria” flow straight into the growling basses of the finale."
De Standaard
 
"The way Desdemona and her purity are portrayed can only be described as breathtaking. Corinne Winters (Desdemona) gets to the essence of her fragile character."
Cutting Edge

"Desdemona is played by Corinne Winters. Young and petite, but blessed with an impressive voice."
PodiArt

"The Desdemona of the American soprano Corinne Winters, in her psychological righteousness, is compelling from her first appearance. Her voice is luminous and her technique considerable, with a beautiful legato that works wonders in the last act during the famous "Willow Song" – and the rejection of any external effects makes it deeply moving."
Classique News

"As Otello, Ian Storey is an overwhelming power, facing the Audrey Hepburn-esque Desdemona of Corinne Winters, who is just as strong vocally, but with grace and nuance."
La Libre

Jamie Barton Makes Mainstage Debut at Opera Frankfurt

February 12, 2016

Photo by Barbara Aumüller

Nearly a decade after singing a winning "Priva son d'ogni conforto" during the finals of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Jamie Barton is making her much-anticipated debut as Cornelia in Giulio Cesare.

Critics are praising Barton's ability to "cast a spell with her heartfelt mezzo" (Frankfurter Neue Presse), as well as her "big voice, expressivity, and charisma." (Opera Nederland)

Barton is joined in the Oper Frankfurt production by a stellar cast that includes Andreas Scholl in the title role, Louise Alder as Cleopatra, Nina Tarandek as Sesto, Matthias Rexroth as Tolomeo, and Simon Baily as Achilla.

Performances run February 12 through March 26; tickets are available through the Oper Frankfurt site.

Read reviews:

“Jamie Barton vibrates the room with her phrasing.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

“The American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton got the biggest applause of the evening. Her big voice, expressivity and charisma gave great expression to Cornelia’s sadness and her stately figure offered the noble grandeur of Pompeo’s widow.”
Opera Nederland

“Also debuting is Jamie Barton as Pompeo’s widow Cornelia, who cast a spell with her heartfelt mezzo.”
Frankfurter Neue Presse

Amanda Majeski Returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago in Der Rosenkavalier

February 9, 2016

Photo by Cory Weaver

““In the key role of the Marschallin, Lyric is blessed with the presence of soprano Amanda Majeski. Her work here is sheer perfection. She has clearly mastered the character’s many moods, from her flirtatiousness with Octavian following their liebesnacht in her bedroom at the start of the first act to her gracious philosophical resignation in the trio of the last. Majeski has a voice of both warmth and power, enabling her to make herself heard over Strauss’s large orchestra while still floating ethereally over more intimate scenes. She simply could not be better in this role.” STAGE LEFT”

Amanda Majeski has returned to her home company, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, for her first U.S. performances as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. Majeski debuted the Strauss role in Frankfurt in 2015 to rapturous reviews; now Chicago critics are praising her "seamless lyricism" (Chicago Sun-Times) and "golden sound" (Chicago Theatre Review), as well as her "creamy tone and ravishing pianissimos." (Chicago Tribune)

Der Rosenkavalier, conducted by Edward Gardner and also starring Sophie Koch, Alice Coote, and Matthew Rose, continues through March 13; tickets are available through the Lyric website.

Read reviews:

"As the Marschallin, Amanda Majeski revealed just the type of glowing soprano voice with which Strauss had a lifelong love affair; Majeski has an ample, pungent instrument with the ability to soar above the staff in long, arching lines and fine down to a thread of pianissimo with seeming effortlessness."
Opera News

"Soprano Amanda Majeski was an intriguing Marschallin, projecting gracious authority while struggling with the painful fact that her youth was forever past and gone. An Illinois native and alumna of Lyric’s Ryan Opera Center training program, she sang with a strong, bright, expressive tone. Her seamless lyricism in the opera’s introspective moments conveyed the Marschallin’s essential goodness of heart. In Act III, disgusted by the crude Baron, Majeski’s low vocal line brimmed with scorn."
Chicago Sun-Times

"The singer who would succeed at Strauss must possess the freedom of tone necessary to brave the rapidly-shifting musicality of his phrases and the buoyant athleticism of their leaps, while maintaining a narrow delineation of pitch. In the plum role of The Marschallin, Chicago-favorite Amanda Majeski makes short work of this challenge. In the Act I Monologue, “Da geht er hin,” the Illinois-born soprano threads her golden sound fearlessly, with a flawless vibrato like a flicker hovering over a carefully-controlled flame."
Chicago Theatre Review

"Majeski was exemplary, riding Strauss’s long lines with gleaming tone and confidence. She brought a dignified sadness to her long Act I soliloquy musing on her fading beauty with touching expression. The soprano was ideally poised and affecting vocally and dramatically in the final trio as she yields her young lover to a woman his own age."
Chicago Classical Review

"What redeems the production is the pathos of seeing performances fresh as dewdrops imprisoned in a dusty mausoleum. Amanda Majeski, who triumphed as the Countess Almaviva in Figaro earlier this season, sings with such tenderness as to render the German language beautiful."
Chicago Stage Standard

"Amanda Majeski regally embodies the Marschallin. Her tall, slender figure and fair skin are a natural fit for the role, but it is her exquisite tone and vocal technique that makes the performance so absolutely enchanting. When Koch and Majeski are joined onstage by Christina Landshamer’s Sophie for Der Rosenkavalier’s finale, the resulting trio is heavenly and sublime."
Stage and Cinema

"Majeski has a way of sliding languidly into notes, letting them come upon her in a way that projects immense self-assurance. Her creamy tone sits beautifully atop Edward Gardner’s direction of the orchestra."
BachTrack

"Strauss specified that his heroine, the Marschallin, be no older than 32.  Matching her real-life age to that of the character, soprano Amanda Majeski (who's 31) sang beautifully as the Marschallin, aka the Princess von Werdenberg, wife of a field marshall in Imperial Vienna. The Illinois-born Majeski carried herself with great poise and grace as she lofted creamy tone and ravishing pianissimos into the stratosphere, and she was touching in her character's rueful monologue about the passage of time. She earned herself an extended ovation Monday."
Chicago Tribune

2016 Tucson Desert Song Festival Delivers World-Class Talent to Sonoran Desert

February 8, 2016

Photo by Mike Sultzbach

““Few music festivals can claim the leadership position or forward thinking of the Tucson Desert Song Festival (TDSF). In a modern world in which classical music is facing a tough battle for continued funding, it is the TDSF that is giving smaller regional organizations an opportunity to thrive.” LATIN POST”

By attracting vocal stars from around the world to the stunning Sonoran Desert each winter, the Tucson Desert Song Festival is earning a reputation as a destination arts festival.

The 2016 Festival featured 23 performances over 18 days, including those by Grammy winner Sasha Cooke and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and Richard Tucker Award winner Jamie Barton, pictured here.

Barton and soprano Amber Wagner, as well as husband-and-wife team of mezzo Daniela Mack and tenor Alek Shrader, were presented in duo recitals by Arizona Opera, which also produced Carmen. Barton, Wagner, and Shrader were all winners of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, which were captured in the 2009 documentary "The Audition".

Cooke joined tenor Richard Cox for "Mahler and Martial Arts" with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, while guitarist Adam del Monte and baritone Bernardo Bermudez collaborated with Ballet Tucson and the Tucson Guitar Society on "Rhythms of the Americas".

Other guest artists for the fourth annual TDSF included the Grammy-winning a capella group Cantus, The Broken Consort, Marie-Josée Lord, and a quartet of young artists from the Ravinia Festival's Steans Institute.

See what the press are saying:

“Whether you’re an opera fan, a devotee of early music, or you enjoy everything symphonic, the Tucson Desert Song Festival will give you plenty of reasons to stand and applaud.”
Tucson Lifestyle Magazine

“Living in Southern Arizona, we don’t often experience some of the world’s best classical vocal talents live, and in person. This dilemma was addressed in 2010 with the founding of Tucson Desert Song Festival.”
Zocalo Magazine

“The Tucson Desert Song Festival is a bonanza of gorgeous music. Arts groups and the fest folk have teamed up to bring us internationally known talent, as well as rising stars in the art song field."
Arizona Daily Star

Amanda Majeski Featured on Schmopera

February 4, 2016

Amanda Majeski is featured in a Schmopera Spotlight interview.

American lyric soprano Amanda Majeski was named "Best Breakout Star" by Chicago magazine, and she's living up to the title. Roles like Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Countess Madeleine in Capriccio have kept her busy in recent years; last season she sang Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, a signature role of hers, at the Metropolitan Opera under the baton of James Levine, which was broadcast worldwide in HD.

Majeski is set to sing the Marschallin in Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Der Rosenkavalier, opening February 8th. She managed to find some time to give Schmopera a beautiful interview about singing, the importance of being multi-lingual, and her enormous dedication to her work.

Read more >

Jamie Barton Featured in Special Report

February 4, 2016

Jamie Barton is featured in Musical America's special report on competitions.

Jamie Barton is one of the fastest-rising stars in the opera world today, earning rave reviews for her keen musicality and voluptuous, richly colored instrument. The Atlanta-based mezzo-soprano has also become something of an expert on the current competition scene, having ridden a wave of wins. Musical America spoke with Barton on the West Coast in December, where she was singing Adalgisa in Los Angeles Opera’s Norma and making her San Francisco recital debut at San Francisco Performances.

Read more >

Jamie Barton to Debut at New York Philharmonic, Return to Houston Grand Opera

February 3, 2016

In the 2016/17 season, Jamie Barton will make her Wigmore Hall recital debut in London, and return to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for Mahler's 3rd Symphony. 

Barton will also debut with the New York Philharmonic as Fricka in a semi-staged production of Das Rheingold, a role she first sang at Houston Grand Opera.

An alumna of the HGO Studio, Barton will return to Houston in April and May of 2017 for Götterdämmerung, in which she will perform Waltraute and Second Norn alongside Simon O'Neill as Siegfried, Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde, and Andrea Silvestrelli as Hagen. 

Photo by Lynn Lane